Understanding Chess

Exchanges
By

Bagheri & Salehzadeh

Quality Chess
www.qualitychess.co.uk
Preface

Exchanging pieces in chess is a subject lying deep within the foundations of our positional
understanding. In reality, exchanging in chess bears many similarities to the sort of exchanges we
can observe in economics, or the trades happening in our daily lives; the more profitable these
exchanges are, the better it is for us.

Chess grandmasters are fully aware of the importance of exchanges and are always on the lookout
for instances where a proper exchange might be profitable.

In this book, we have tried to strip complex games of their mysterious aura and break them down
into simpler components, giving clear-cut explanations, and practical advice when necessary. We
have tried our best to give the readers an easy interpretation of why grandmasters make certain
decisions, and especially: how they decide which pieces need to be exchanged, and which need
to stay on the board.

Of course, in this book, we will not only talk about exchanging pieces. It is impossible to conduct
any discussion on strategy without firm knowledge of the basics, and we will very often dip
our toes into many different aspects of positional chess, trying to shed light on as many basic
principles as possible.

Most of the games in this book were played in the modern era, many even featuring young,
up-and-coming talents that are still on their rise to the top. We did not want to rely on the already
heavily discussed classics: chess is an insanely rich game, and instructive games are played every
day by the strongest players of our time. Why not try to learn directly from them?

We hope that in this book you will be able to find many golden tips, the results of years of
experience, that will help you improve your game.

Join us on this adventurous journey.

GM Amir Bagheri, FIDE Trainer Mohammad Reza Salehzadeh

August 2023
 Contents
Preface 3
Key to Symbols used 6

Chapter One: Exchanges and Piece Activity 7

Improve your Worst-Placed Piece 7

Exchanging for Prophylaxis 22
Exchanging for Space 23
What Remains is Important 25
Exchanging in the Opening 27
Denying the Exchange 30
No Prejudice 34
The Duel 38
Breaking the Principle 44
Timing 48
Conclusion 53
Exercises 54
Solutions 58

Chapter Two: Exchanges and Space 71

Minor Pieces 71
Rooks 75
King 79
Space and Piece Activity 81
Playing with less Space 85
Exceptions to the Rules 98
Checkmate over Space 103
Overprotection 107
Conclusion 109
Exercises 110
Solutions 113

Chapter Three: Exchanges and Attack 123

Removing a Vital Defender 123

The Fianchettoed Bishop 126
Facilitating a Breakthrough 130
No Time to Lose 133
 Destroying the King’s Shelter 138
Opening a File 143
Attacking on a Colour Complex 146
Defusing an Attack 148
Conclusion 162
Exercises 163
Solutions 165

Chapter Four: Exchanges and Lasting Advantages 173

When Style Matters & Keeping the Tension 173

The Bishop Pair 176
Giving up the Bishop Pair 178
Playing Against the Bishop Pair 190
A Better Structure 204
The Queen Exchange 215
Denying a Queen Trade 227
Pawn Majority 230
The Powerful Queen and Knight duo 232
Transforming an Advantage 234
Conclusion 241
Exercises 242
Solutions 246

Chapter Five: Exchanges and Initiative 263

Activity Matters Most 263

The Initiative is worth more than a Pawn 272
Exchanging your Opponent’s Active Pieces 278
Not all Activities are Created Equal 286
Material is just another Positional Factor 288
Mobile Pawn Centre 292
Opposite-Coloured Bishops 294
Exchanging to Create an Entry Point 303
Poking and Prodding 309
A Single Tempo 313
Tactics 315
Repelling the Initiative 322
The Principle of Two Weaknesses 326
Conclusion 332
Exercises 333
Solutions 336

Name Index 346

Game Index 349
Chapter 4
Exchanges and
Lasting Advantages
Advantages in our game can be classified into two categories: short-term and long-term.
For example, a lead in development is a short-term advantage, which we can imagine is made
of ice. If it is not used immediately, it will melt and disappear. On the contrary, long-term
advantages are made of stone, and will not disappear over time. Long-term advantages include
material, pawn structure, space, controlling open files and many more. We have already discussed
in detail the relationship between space and exchanging pieces in Chapter 2. In this one, we will
focus on other long-term factors.

We have dedicated most of this chapter to the games of Magnus Carlsen. His ability to convert a
long-term advantage to a full point is widely recognized as the best of any player to ever play the
game, and his mastery of knowing which pieces to keep on the board has played an essential role
in the building of this reputation.

When Style Matters & Keeping the Tension

Making the right decision becomes harder when there is more than one good plan available. That
is especially the case when we have a choice between a dynamic plan and a positional one. If the
objective merits of both plans are roughly equivalent, that’s when the style of the player might
come into play.

In the following game, we will notice how playing style can affect these situations and start a small
discussion about the importance of keeping the tension.
174 Understanding Chess Exchanges

Magnus Carlsen – Ding Liren In the meantime, by putting his rook on the
c-file White is calmly preparing for the file to
St. Louis (rapid) 2017
open somewhere down the line.
1.e4 e5 2.¤f3 ¤c6 3.¥b5 a6 4.¥a4 ¤f6
After 17.¤xf6† gxf6 18.¦c2 White would also
5.0–0 ¥e7 6.d3 b5 7.¥b3 d6 8.a3 0–0 9.¤c3
have a tiny advantage, but Carlsen’s choice
¤a5 10.¥a2 ¥e6 11.b4 ¥xa2 12.¦xa2 ¤c6
seems practically stronger from a human
13.¥g5 £d7 14.¥xf6 ¥xf6 15.¤d5 a5 16.c4
perspective. In this case, Black’s king is not
¤e7
really in danger as White can’t bring any pieces
 to the attack, and if White doesn’t prove his
Ç   advantage quickly, Black will eventually play
...f6-f5 and repair his structure. It seems like
Æ  the advantage lost its permanent nature and
Å     it’s a matter of time before Black completely
Ä   equalizes.

à   17...¤xd5
Â   Ding reluctantly acquiesces to the exchange
Á   on d5.

À   The text move is objectively fine but going

ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ for 17...bxc4 18.¤xf6† gxf6 19.¦xc4 axb4
20.axb4 was probably a better practical choice.
17.¦c2!?
Keeping the tension! This instructive White retains an edge due to Black’s kingside
half-waiting move is deeply rooted in Carlsen’s weaknesses and the pressure down the semi-
style. open c-file. Nevertheless, it seems like Black’s
moves will be a lot easier compared to the
In such a situation, the white player could be game continuation. The crucial difference is
uncertain of whether he should damage the that in this line Black doesn’t have any passive
opponent’s structure with ¤xf6 or stick to a pieces. In the game, he gets stuck with a
plan of his own, and leave that bishop be. Since terrible bishop.
the bishop is passively placed, Carlsen does not
want to exchange it. What he really wants is to 18.cxd5
tempt his opponent just enough to convince The c7-pawn has become backward and the
him to exchange the knights on d5 and reach square in front of it can be used by White as
a position where he has a good knight against an excellent outpost. Black’s bishop is clearly
the opponent’s bad bishop. Again, the motto inferior compared to the white knight.
“what remains” is important here.
18...axb4 19.axb4 ¦a4 20.£d2 ¦fa8 21.¦fc1
¥d8 22.h3
 Chapter 4 – Exchanges and Lasting Advantages 175

 
Ç   Ç   
Æ  Æ 
Å     Å    
Ä   Ä  
Ã   Ã  
Â  Â 
Á   Á   
À     À    
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
22...¦a1?! 25.d4! exd4 26.¤xd4 ¥f6 27.¤c6
Black should have kept all rooks on The white knight occupies a dream position.
the board and played a waiting move like The weak b5-pawn and the c6-outpost ensure
22...h6, preparing ...f7-f5 with some a pleasant advantage.
counterplay. Calm “quiet” moves like that are
hard to play in fast time controls. 27...£c8?
Allowing White to finish the game quickly.
After trading a pair of rooks or all of them,
White’s advantage gets stronger. The black The lesser evil was 27...£e8 28.£e2 g6
bishop was “bad” according to classical 29.£xb5 but White remains a healthy pawn
guidelines due to the pawn structure. up anyway.
However, it kept both white rooks at bay by
defending the c7-pawn. Not too shabby for a

“bad” bishop. Black’s rooks on the a-file were Ç  
perfectly placed to always threaten irritating
counterplay.
Æ  
With the rooks gone, Black’s potential Å   
counterplay disappears and he loses his main Ä  
trump in the position: his more active rooks.
Ã  
23.¦xa1 ¦xa1† 24.¦c1 ¦a4 Â   
After 24...¦xc1† 25.£xc1 White can claim a
small but lasting advantage.
Á   
À    
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
28.e5!
A powerful breakthrough.

28...dxe5 29.d6! ¦a8

176 Understanding Chess Exchanges

 To play better moves, we should embrace

Ç  uncertainty and tension. After all, chess is so
Æ   complicated we can very seldomly play moves
that are much more than an educated guess,
Å    and that’s not a bad thing. On the contrary,
Ä    it amounts to a large part of the reasons why
à     this game is so fascinating. If you’re still having
trouble keeping the tension, remember: your
Â    opponents probably feel as uneasy as you do
Á    around uncertainty. They’re not machines, and
the only certain thing is they’re going to make
À     mistakes.
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ The Bishop Pair
30.¤e7†!
White gets a powerful passed pawn on e7 Having the bishop pair is one of the most
that will decide the game shortly. common long-term advantages and can single-
handedly play a decisive role in the outcome
30...¥xe7 31.dxe7 g6 32.£d5 h6 of the game.
Ding resigned without waiting for Carlsen
to make his move. Magnus Carlsen – Veselin Topalov
White had several ways to finish the game. The Nanjing 2010
simplest was 33.¦xc7 £e8 34.£xe5 and Black 
is completely helpless.
1–0 Ç 
Æ  
Objectively speaking, it’s not clear whether
17.¦c2!? was any better compared to 17.¤xf6†.
Å   
Nevertheless, Carlsen’s choice to keep the Ä   
tension presented his formidable opponent
with much tougher problems to solve.
à   
Â   
Keeping the tension like this is counterintuitive Á   
for most people. The majority of humans
dislike “uncertainty” and that translates to À   

chess by always aiming for clarity and resolving ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
the tension. However, the game of chess is 18.¤g6!
objective and does not care about our species’ At first glance, it seems unreasonable to
psychological defects. This in turn means we exchange a knight that was able to jump
should always try to tone down our emotions to f5 for the bad black bishop on f8 that is
and try to be as objective as possible. surrounded by its own pawns. However, there
are more important factors at play and, as we
have mentioned plenty of times already, only
what remains on the board is important.
 Chapter 4 – Exchanges and Lasting Advantages 177

In addition to obtaining the two-bishop 24...¤e8 25.f4 f6

advantage, Carlsen pays attention to the White is certainly better, but Black can rely
opponent’s king position which is somewhat on his counterplay on the queenside to give
weakened by ...h7-h6 and could be attacked him decent chances to hold.
in the future. The bishop on f8 is the main
defender of the black king and the difference

in safety will be clearly felt when it is removed. Ç 
Æ  
18...¤a5 19.¤xf8 ¦xf8 20.¥c2
White has the bishop pair and his next step Å    
should be to open the position. Ä   
Strategy in chess is like a chain consisting of
à   
loops. These loops can be tactical or strategic in Â    
nature. The loops are independent but securely
bonded together as one. After completing each
Á  
loop, the next one begins and, ultimately, an À   
overall strategy is created. ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
21.f4!
20...¦e8?! The second loop begins: White creates
Topalov should have reacted in the centre: tension in the centre, looking to open the
position.
20...c5 21.d5 £c7
 21...¥g4 22.£d3 exf4?
After this mistake, Black’s position is
Ç    probably lost. He should have tried to maintain
Æ   the tension in the centre, although his position
Å     was unpleasant anyway.
Ä  
à    23.¥xf4 ¤c4
Â     
Á   Ç 
À    Æ   
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
22.b3 Å    
In the event of the immediate 22.f4 ¤c4 Ä   
23.b3 Black can hold his own with a crucial
in-between move: 23...exf4! 24.¥xf4 ¤e5
à 
The strong e5-knight gives Black a good Â   
position.
22...¤b7 23.h3 ¦a8 24.¥e3
Á  
After 24.f4 ¦a1 Black finds some chances to À    
create his own counterplay. ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
178 Understanding Chess Exchanges

24.¥c1! 30...g6 31.d5!

There is no shame in the return of the The situation is ripe for such operations. The
bishop. On the contrary, it’s perfectly placed disparity in activity almost guarantees that the
on its initial square, both participating in the tactics will work out for White.
attack and protecting the b2-pawn.
31...¤xe5
24...c5 25.¦f1
The last loop begins: a search for the final

blows. Ç  
Æ  
25...cxd4 26.cxd4 £d8 27.h3 ¥e6 28.b3
Carlsen slowly pushes the black pieces Å  
backwards while improving his own position. Ä  
28...£a5
à    
28...¤b6 29.£xb5 is hopeless. Â 
29.¢h2
Á  
He even finds time to improve his king. À   
He is in no rush! His attack will not go away ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
as it is based on the pair of bishops and the 32.dxe6!
pawn structure, and both these advantages are A beautiful finishing touch. Topalov did
permanent. not see any point in continuing the game and
resigned on the spot.
29...¤h7
 After 32...¤xd3 33.exf7† ¢f8 34.¥xh6†
¢e7 35.fxe8=£† ¢xe8 36.¥xd3 White has a
Ç   tonne of material for the queen and Black is
Æ   completely helpless against White’s threats.
Å    1–0

Ä    As we saw, giving up the h4-knight for the

à   f8-bishop was a great call. At first, it might
have looked like the f8-bishop was passive
Â  but, once again, what remained on the board
Á   was important. The pair of bishops almost
single-handedly decided the game.
À   
Giving up the Bishop Pair
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
30.e5 Everyone knows that having the pair of bishops
After all of White’s pieces were put to their is, in most cases, an advantage. At the same
optimal attacking posts, it’s time for the time, one of the greatest strengths attributed
position to explode. to the bishop pair is the ability to exchange
one or both bishops for enemy knights. That
 Chapter 4 – Exchanges and Lasting Advantages 179

paradoxical statement will be at the core of this At first, Maurizzi avoids exchanging bishops
segment. and maintains his bishop pair.
The engine claims 22.¥xd4 is also interesting
We briefly touched on this subject in Chapter but it looks very committal. The proposed line
2, when analysing the game Giannoulakis – continues: 22...cxd4 23.¦f3 ¢b8 24.f5 e5
Donchenko. That game nicely showcased how 25.¦b3 White keeps some advantage thanks
tough it would be for a knight to hunt down to the idea of a2-a4. However, in the game his
and capture a bishop. The fact that bishops position was much easier to handle.
often find it much easier to hunt down and
capture knights is a significant advantage. 22...c4 23.f5!
Imagine negotiating a deal, which your A logical move. White is trying to open the
adversary is always obliged to accept. Even if position for his bishops and gain access to the
you don’t want the deal right now, who knows opponent’s king.
about next year? That’s how having the bishop
pair usually works. It’s a great negotiating 23...e5 24.fxg6 fxg6
chip that should, in most cases, be cashed out
eventually for the full point. Still, letting go of

a permanent advantage as strong as the bishop Ç   
pair isn’t easy, and players often miss the right Æ    
moment to transform the advantage.
Å  
Let us see a game from the youngest French Ä  
player to ever become a grandmaster, that
nicely illustrates the power of a well-timed
à  
exchange of a bishop for a knight. Â   
Marc Andria Maurizzi – Vitaly Sivuk
Á  
Reykjavik 2021
À  
 ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
25.¥xh5!
Ç    The right moment to surrender one of
Æ    White’s bishops. Maurizzi gives up his bishop-
pair advantage to prevent the opponent’s
Å  knight from coming to the excellent outpost
Ä   on f4. If that happened, after the possible
exchange on f4 the opposite-coloured-bishops
à    position would have provided Black with good
Â    chances to keep the balance.
Á   25...gxh5
À  
 25...¦xh5
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ This could be met with:
26.£f1 ¦h7 27.¦f3 ¦d7 28.¦f6 ¦d6 29.¦f8†
22.¥c1!
¦d8
180 Understanding Chess Exchanges

 27.¥g5!
Ç    White blocks the g-file from the opponent’s
Æ     rook and prepares to initiate his attack against
Å   the opponent’s exposed king through the open
Ä    f-file. The game is completely one-sided.
à   27...£c6 28.a3 ¦g6
Â     It’s hard to suggest something constructive
Á   for Black.
À   For example, after 28...¢b8 29.c3 ¥c5
30.£e2 a5 31.¦f6 £d7 32.¦f5 ¦e8 33.¥f6
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ White wins at least one pawn.
Even though White has infiltrated the black
camp with his rook, Black is holding his own 29.¦f8† ¢b7 30.£e2
for the moment, claiming that there is no
easy progress to be made. 
30.¥g5! Ç    
Black’s defensive construction was precarious
and collapses completely.
Æ   
30...¦xf8 31.£xf8† ¢b7 32.£f7† ¢a8 33.¥f6 Å 
The g6-pawn falls and even though there
are some tricks left up Black’s sleeve, White
Ä  
is objectively and practically winning. The à  
extremely vulnerable black king will always Â    
guarantee easy play for White.
Á  
26.¦f3 À   
The difference between the activity of the
rooks and the safety of the kings is what will
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
The h5-pawn drops.
ultimately prove decisive.
30...¦d6 31.£xh5 c3 32.£f7† £d7
26...¦g8 33.£xd7† ¦xd7 34.b4
 
Ç   Ç    
Æ     Æ  
Å    Å   
Ä   Ä   
à   à   
Â    Â    
Á   Á   
À    À   
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
 Chapter 4 – Exchanges and Lasting Advantages 181

White’s position is totally winning. He has Magnus Carlsen – Levon Aronian

an extra pawn and his bishop is much better
Karlsruhe 2019
than its counterpart. The continuation of the
game does not need much explanation. Black
1.d4 ¤f6 2.c4 e6 3.¤f3 d5 4.¤c3 dxc4 5.e4
has no counterplay, so the game is effectively
¥b4 6.¥g5 c5 7.¥xc4 cxd4 8.¤xd4 ¥xc3†
over already.
9.bxc3 £a5 10.¥d2 0–0 11.£e2 e5 12.¤b3
£c7 13.0–0 ¥g4 14.f3 ¦c8
34...¦h7 35.¦f6 ¥b6 36.¦e6 ¦h8 37.¦xe5
¥f2 38.¦e7† ¢c8 39.¦e6 ¢b7 40.¦h6 
¦e8 41.¦f6 ¥d4 42.¦f4 ¥e5 43.¦f7† ¢c6
44.¦e7 ¦xe7 45.¥xe7 ¢d7 46.¥g5 ¢e6
Ç 
47.h5 Æ 
Black resigned. Å    
1–0
Ä    
As we saw, White first refused an exchange of à 
bishops, continuing to hold on to his bishop
pair as a bargaining chip that prevented Black
Â  
from opening the centre. After Black agreed Á 
to close the centre with 23...e5 the young
Frenchman realized he could transform his
À   
advantage into a larger one. From having ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
the two bishops, he went to having control White must decide if and under what
over the “only” open file. Of course, it wasn’t circumstances he should exchange his
technically the only open file, as the d- and c4-bishop.
g-files were “open” as well, but they were both
clogged by the d4- and g5-bishops respectively. 15.¥d5!
The only move to fight for an advantage.
Controlling the only open file when infiltration Carlsen decides to give up his bishop pair to
squares are available is, in most cases, an create a powerful passed pawn on d5 which
advantage much larger than the pair of bishops can be defended by c3-c4. This change in the
– and one that is almost always enough pawn structure will also weaken the black
to deliver the full point. When pondering pawn on e5, as White will be able to attack
whether to give up one of your bishops, the it down the e-file. There was no good way of
question you must ponder is: “Is what I’m keeping the bishop.
getting in exchange better or worse compared
to the advantage I had before?” After 15.¥d3 ¥e6 Black is completely fine,
as White kept a useless piece on d3 and, in
Another significant change that could justify exchange, Black got to keep the beautifully
the decision to part with our pair of bishops active e6-bishop.
can be a dramatic change in pawn structure.
In the event of 15.¥xf7† £xf7 16.fxg4 White
achieves nothing because of 16...£c4! and
Black has a tonne of counterplay.
182 Understanding Chess Exchanges

Black is stuck in a dilemma. If he takes on d5, 17...¤d7

then White obtains a strong, protected passed The pawn wasn’t hanging. After 17...£xc4??
pawn. Otherwise, White will enjoy a great 18.¦fc1 White wins.
space advantage with the pair of bishops for
free. 18.¦fc1!
Carlsen prepares to push his a- and c-pawns.
15...¤xd5
The lesser evil. Black needs to unbalance the 18.¦ac1!? with the idea of ¦fd1 is also
game and seek his chances in a double-edged interesting.
position.
18...b6
If he tries to be solid with 15...¥e6, then Black prevents c4-c5. Nevertheless, this move
White can play 16.c4! ¤c6 17.¥e3 and keep creates some new weaknesses on the queenside.
a significant advantage because of his space
superiority. Black is relegated to complete 19.a4
passivity. White focuses on a queenside attack.
The reason he chose 18.¦fc1! over 18.¦ac1
16.exd5 ¥h5 becomes clear.
16...¥f5 does not change a great deal:
17.¦ac1 ¤d7 18.c4 The position is similar to

the game, but White’s f-pawn is not pinned so Ç 
an eventual f3-f4 is very much on the cards. Æ 
 Å    
Ç  Ä  
Æ  Ã  
Å     Â  
Ä   Á  
à     À    
Â   ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
Á  19...a5?!
À    Weakening the b6-pawn.

ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ This is actually a typical and logical move in

17.c4! most similar situations. Black doesn’t want to
White starts initiating play on the queenside let White continue his minority attack with
where, on top of his spatial superiority, he a4-a5 and axb6, as then White would exchange
has more pieces influencing the situation. his isolated a4-pawn with Black’s perfectly
Note how offside the h5-bishop starts to look placed pawn on a7. By fixing the structure
already. with ...a7-a5 Black accepts to weaken his
b6-pawn but, in exchange, White is
going to keep a weak pawn on a4 as well.
 Chapter 4 – Exchanges and Lasting Advantages 183

However, there’s a catch: with the bishop Black is suddenly better.) 30...¦e8 31.¦xe5
so awkwardly placed on h5 the weakness ¦xe5 32.¦xe5 White wins a pawn.
of the a4-pawn is never going to be
felt. 28.fxe4 fxe4 29.¥xc5 ¦xc5 30.¤xe4

19...£d6 would have been better, trying to be


as solid as possible. After 20.¥e1 (20.a5? b5! Ç   
gives Black good counterplay) 20...¥g6 White Æ   
has only a slight advantage.
Å   
20.£f2 £d6 21.¥e3 ¥g6 22.£d2 f6 23.£b2 Ä   
¦c7 24.¤d2 ¤c5 25.£a3 ¦d8 26.¦c3
White has a pleasant long-term advantage
Ã 
so there is no need to rush. Carlsen has been Â    
slowly but surely improving the placement of
his pieces while at the same time poking and
Á   
prodding Black wherever he can. À    
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
26...f5? White is a pawn up for no compensation.
Aronian finally loses his patience and decides Carlsen has no trouble putting the game away
to play “actively”. Nevertheless, this move in his usual clinical manner.
severely weakens the e5-pawn.
 30...£e5 31.¦ce3 ¦cc8 32.h3 £c7 33.¤d2
Ç    ¦e8 34.¦e7 ¦xe7 35.¦xe7 £d8 36.£e3 ¦c7
37.¦e6 ¦c5 38.£b3
Æ    After the b6-pawn falls Black has no chance
Å    to save the game. Aronian decided it was time
to resign.
Ä   1–0
Ã   A magnificent positional game. This time,
Â    Carlsen used his “bargaining chip” of the bishop
Á    pair to force Black into taking the bishop on
À     d5 and transform the structure in a way that
gave him a permanent positional advantage.
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ Especially when you compare the game move
27.¦e1! (15.¥d5!) with the alternative White had of
Carlsen targets the new-found weakness on keeping the bishop pair (15.¥d3), it becomes
e5 and the black position starts to crumble. apparent that it would be silly to keep a bishop
that would be so much worse compared to its
27...e4 counterpart.
Trying to repurpose the bishop also doesn’t
help: 27...¥e8 28.¥xc5 ¦xc5 29.¦ce3 ¥d7
30.£a1! (Not 30.¦xe5? due to 30...¦xd5! and
 Exercises
Baadur Jobava – Arjun Erigaisi Amir Bagheri – Timur Arestanov
Internet (blitz) 2021 Rasht 1998
4-1 4-3
 
Ç   
 Ç   
Æ   Æ  
Å   Å  
Ä    Ä   
Ã    Ã   
Â     Â    
Á   Á  
À    À  

ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
Black to play White to play

David Howell – Nils Grandelius Elshan Moradiabadi – Amir Bagheri

London 2022 4-2 Cebu 2007 4-4
 
Ç 
 Ç 

Æ  Æ  
Å    Å  
Ä     Ä    
à    à   
Â     Â    
Á   Á
À    À  
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
Black to play Black to play
 Solutions
4-1. Baadur Jobava – Arjun Erigaisi

Internet (blitz) 2021
Ç   
 Æ  
Ç   
 Å  
Æ   Ä    
Å   Ã   
Ä    Â    
Ã    Á   
Â     À  
Á   ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
White has no compensation for the
À    opponent’s bishop pair.
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ 23...h3!?
As we have seen in the games section, when
One of many possible continuations. Black
you have the bishop pair, the exchange of
retains a good advantage but the game was
queens usually works in your favour.
eventually drawn.
...½–½
20...£e5!
Black forces the exchange of queens
4-2. David Howell – Nils Grandelius
by creating dangerous threats against the
opponent’s king, London 2022

21.¤f1

21.g3 is clearly suicidal: 21...hxg3 22.¦xd8† Ç 

¥xd8 23.fxg3 ¥b6 Black wins. Æ 
21...£xe2 22.¥xe2 ¦xd1 23.¥xd1 Å   
Ä    
à   
Â    
Á  
À   
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
 Chapter 4 – Solutions 247

15...¤g6! 4-3. Amir Bagheri – Timur Arestanov

This move is crucial for Black. He needs to
Rasht 1998
eliminate White’s bishop pair.

16.¥xe4 ¤xh4 17.g3 Ç   
 Æ  
Ç  Å  
Æ  Ä   
Å    Ã   
Ä     Â    
à    Á  
Â     À  

Á     ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
À    22.¥xd5!
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ After exchanging the minor pieces, the
position gets quieter and that amplifies the
17...f5!?
importance of White’s structural advantage.
Black plays energetically, trying to avoid any
kind of unpleasant, Catalan-style positions.
22...exd5
After 22...cxd5? 23.£c3† ¢b8 24.¦xf7
18.¥c2
White is clearly winning.
18.gxh4 fxe4 19.¤e2 ¥d7 leads to a double-
edged position with chances for both sides.
23.£d3 g6
The seemingly weak black pawn on e6 is
Also not helpful is 23...¦f8 when 24.£f5†
actually extremely useful, as it prevents White
¢b8 25.e6 £xd4 is forced, and 26.£xf7! is a
from permanently posting his knight on the
cute finish.
d4- and f4-squares.
24.b3
18...¤g6 19.f4 ¥d7 20.¤f3 ¥c6 21.¢e2
White does not need to rush to take on f7;
¥d5 22.¦hc1 ¦ac8 23.¥d3 ¤e7
his advantage is permanent after all. Rushing
White has only a tiny edge, if anything at all.
will only create chances for the opponent to
...½–½
muddy the waters.

24...£c7 25.£e3 £e7

248 Understanding Chess Exchanges

 29...£xg4 30.£c3

Ç    Black can do nothing to stop the queen from
Æ   invading via c5. (However, it is worth noting
that White is not yet threatening ¦xc6†, which
Å   would only lead to a draw.)
Ä   
à    30...£d7
The queen must guard the f7-pawn, as the
Â    rook is about to be chased away.
Á   31.£c5 ¦h8 32.£xa7 ¢c7
À    
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ Ç    
26.¢b2!
Again, White does not need to rush. Let’s Æ 
first stop the annoying check on a3.
Å  
26...¦e8 27.£f3 ¦f8 28.£d3 Ä   
White wants to play ¦f6 next, establishing
total control.
à    
Â   
28...£e6 Á  
 À    
Ç    ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
Æ   33.a4!
Å  White’s a-pawn also joins the attack.

Ä    33...¦h7 34.a5 £c8 35.a6 £b8 36.¦xc6†

à    A nice finishing touch. The black queen falls.
1–0
Â  
Á  
À   
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
29.¦f6!
White has made all the preparatory moves,
and it is time for the final assault. The black
queen gets dragged away from the defence of
the king.
 Chapter 4 – Solutions 249

4-4. Elshan Moradiabadi – Amir Bagheri 18...¤h5!?

An interesting idea. Black wanted to push
Cebu 2007
his e-pawn with ...e7-e5-e4, but the loose
 f6-knight was a nuisance. However, it was not
Ç 
 the most accurate way to play.

Æ   Black could have gained a big advantage with

Å   18...h5! threatening ...h5-h4 and ...¤e4, and
Ä     if White decides to stop that with 19.h4, then
the g4-square is terribly weak. After 19...¤g4
à    Black is in complete control.
Â     19.¤xh5 gxh5 20.¦b3 ¦hg8 21.g3 ¦df8
Á 
À   Ç  
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ Æ  
15...¥g4!
Before attacking the weaknesses of the Å   
opponent’s position, Black wants to get rid of
White’s bishop pair. In fact, the bishop pair is
Ä   
the only thing White has in exchange for his à   
terrible structure. With one of the bishops Â   
gone, he will be left with a miserable defensive
task. Á 
À   
16.¦b1?
White should have played 16.¥xg4 ¤xg4
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
22.¦fb1?!
17.h3 ¤f6 18.0–0 trying to at least get a small
In a bad position, White makes a decisive
lead in development.
mistake. The doubled rooks on the b-file serve
no real purpose.
16...¥xe2 17.¢xe2 0–0–0 18.¦hf1
 22.¥d2 was more circumspect, but still after
Ç    22...¦xf1 23.¢xf1 ¦f8† 24.¢e2 ¦f5 Black has
a clear advantage.
Æ  
Å   22...e5 23.¥d2
Ä    
à   
Â    
Á
À  
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
250 Understanding Chess Exchanges


Ç  
Æ  
Å   
Ä   
à   
Â   
Á 
À   
ÈÉÊËÌÍÎÏ
23...¦f7
It is hard to choose a concrete approach
when slow positional moves seem good
enough for an advantage, but here 23...h4! was
really strong: 24.¦f3 (24.¦xb7 could be met
by 24...hxg3 25.hxg3 ¦xg3 and Black gets a
winning position. One of his main threats is
...d3† with the idea of clearing
​​ the d4-square
for his knight.) 24...d3†! 25.¦xd3 ¤d4† Black
wins.

24.¦f3 ¦xf3 25.¢xf3 ¦f8† 26.¢e2 e4

Black still has a big advantage, but the game
was eventually drawn.
...½–½